Heretofore it has, generally, been known that in, for example, reciprocating piston type internal combustion engines improved engine power, improved fuel efficiency and other attendant benefits could be derived if the characteristics of the piston stroke could be modified. The prior art has proposed various means for altering such piston stroke characteristics as, for example: (a) altering the overall length of stroke of the piston; (b) altering the speed of travel of the piston during selected portions of its stroke; (c) effectively stopping the movement of the piston during selected portions of its stroke as possibly at the top of its stroke in order to prolong its stay at the top for a time longer than it would otherwise experience and (d) altering the top of the piston stroke during alternate strokes.
In proposing such means, the prior art has proposed the employment, generally, of various means whereby, in the main, the objective was to alter the distance as between the center of the crankshaft crank-pin and the wrist pin of the related piston (or the top of the related piston) as the crankshaft underwent rotation and the associated piston underwent reciprocation. Even though such a concept is generally valid, the prior art, nevertheless, has proposed various means which are very complex, costly and not totally reliable with the result being that such prior art structures have not been adopted especially where the results desired are to occur in relatively high speed engines of relatively high horsepower rating.
The prior art, as illustrated and disclosed by, for example, United States of America Letters Patent Nos.: (a) 1,111,252 dated Sept. 22, 1914; (b) 1,162,710 dated Nov. 30, 1915; (c) 1,326,129 dated Dec. 23, 1919; (d) 1,553,009 dated Sept. 8, 1925; (e) 1,931,705 dated Oct. 24, 1933; (f) 1,964,096 dated June 26, 1934; (g) 2,356,033 dated Aug. 15, 1944; (h) 3,087,342 dated Apr. 30, 1963; (i) 3,686,972 dated Aug. 29, 1972; (j) 3,861,239 dated Jan. 21, 1975 and (k) 4,044,629 dated Aug. 30, 1977, employ such means as, for example: complicated cam follower grooves or tracks; bevel gears; ring and sun gears for driving an eccentric; a rotatable eccentric wrist pin; spring-loaded plunger-like means for permitting a lost motion connection as between the crankshaft crank-pin and associated piston; sliding bearing block means carried by the connecting rod at its end intended for connection to the crank-pin and cooperating gear and chain drives for driving an eccentric in order to achieve an altered piston stroke. As hereinbefore stated, such means as proposed by the prior art have not been accepted and it is believed that such lack of acceptance is at least in part due to the high cost of such prior art structures and the complicated nature thereof as well as, often, requiring too much space within the engine. The provision of various gearing means as proposed by the prior art also adds to the creation of engine vibrations which are undesirable.
Accordingly, the invention as herein disclosed, described and claimed is primarily directed to the solution of at least certain of the problems of the prior art and to provide for a simple and yet effective arrangement whereby a much more efficient mechanical utilization of, for example, the combustion gases in a piston engine as during the power stroke of the related piston.